The Mafunzo Project By Emily Isham

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Do you ever watch the news and let it really sink in just HOW blessed we are to be living in this nation? Politics and frustrations aside, do you realise the abundance of educated healthcare professionals, well-resourced medical facilities, exceptional schools, child-friendly play areas, available fresh produce, and other essential amenities? !I was born in Australia, to Australian parents. I, however, spent over a decade of my childhood growing up as a ‘missionary kid’, alongside my brother and sister in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo – formerly known as Zaire. My father taught theology, and my audiologist mother worked in a deaf school and a prison… well, that is until the brutal Rwandan Genocide began in 1994. Living

right on the border (I went to bed each night smelling explosives in the air) means we were soon overrun with refugees fleeing the most horrific, bloody torture and mass killings – neighbours and family members turning against one another… Every spare piece of land turned into a refugee camp, dotted with UNHCR tents – including our backyard. My parents’ work then involved assisting with housing, treating and feeding refugees – which bred my ongoing passion for healthcare in third-world settings. !With the refugees came ethnic tensions and more fighting, and our lives in Congo became precarious and uncertain – going to sleep at night in our clothes and shoes, with our bags packed by the door, in preparation for our multiple,

immediate evacuations to next-door countries. Ultimately, we fled for our lives back to Australia permanently… because we could. But we left so many dear ones behind because they had different birth certificates to us. !I re-entered Australia at the start of year 8, and worked really hard in high school to get into a Melbourne medical course for 3 reasons: because of my intense passion for serving people through healthcare, because of my guilt that I was able to study and my Congolese peers couldn’t, and because of my Christian faith that convicted me to devote my life to helping those more unfortunate than myself.

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3 Throughout medical school, that burden pressed upon my shoulders – resting heavier still when I received emails from my intelligent, diligent friends who couldn’t afford university fees and, consequently, had to drop out mid-degree, despite their longing to acquire skills that would help their own suffering people and assist in building back the derelict, wretched Congolese healthcare system. !In 2010, by the grace of God, I was awarded some funding to develop my idea of aiding these students, and in 2011, I travelled back to Congo on my own to formally set up The Mafunzo Project (‘mafunzo’ means ‘train’ in Swahili). !The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country still in turmoil. It is one of the largest countries in Africa, and has been in a state of war since 1998, often called the “African World War”, with millions of victims. There, the government is broken and dysfunctional – they don’t assist students in paying fees, and they don’t pay doctors, nurses and teachers. Instead, healthcare workers have to seek wages from destitute patients, often going without. Consequently, many students have deserted their studies, and healthcare professionals have left the country to seek better salaries and work conditions elsewhere. !The prevalence of rape and sexual violence in Congo is extreme, and it is known as the “rape capital of the world”. Rape and sexual violence are used as weapons of war in this corrupt, turbulent country because, by shaming the women in the villages, they destroy the pillars of society.

Panzi Hospital is an internationally-renowned hospital with a special focus on treating Victims of Sexual Violence holistically, which is affiliated with the local university that runs a 7-year medical course and a 4-year nursing course. Medical and nursing students do a significant amount of their practical training at Panzi Hospital, equipping them to deal with the psychological ramifications of rape and treat major gynaecological injuries. !The Mafunzo Project enables Australians to donate to the university fees of Congolese medical students (tuition costs = $450 per year over 6 years), and nursing students ($180 per year over 3 years), who have undergone a rigorous selection process and signed a contract agreeing to work in Congo for a number of years after graduating. Currently, this Project is sponsoring 16 medical students and 12 nursing students. !By donating to the sponsorship of medical and nursing students in Congo, you are assisting conscientious students to be trained into qualified doctors and nurses (instead of having to abandon their degrees due to financial hardship), and in doing so, you are assisting in rebuilding an essential healthcare system in an impoverished, violent and corrupt country. To find out more, please visit: www.themafunzoproject.org Or email me at themafunzoproject@gmail.com

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3 Three Little Feathers A Mumpreneur InterviewBy Kate Sward, Hobart Mumpreneur Coordinator

Who is Sarah Bester? I am full time mum to two beautiful children, Tiábella who is 2 and a half and Auron who is 3 months. I am the creative soul behind the design label Love+stuff, the owner of Three Little Feathers and co-owner of The Nook. !Tell us about your business and what you do. Three Little Feathers is a retail shop created to support local Tasmanian makers and designers. The shop displays and sells products on behalf of makers but does not take any commissions or retail markups, keeping the prices reasonable and making sure every dollar spend is supporting the people who make the items. !What were you doing prior to Three Little Feathers? I have been designing and creating for years, selling online and through markets through my design label "Love+stuff". I was also a retail manager at a large department store. !Who was your inspiration growing up? Why? My mum and my grandma - both very talented seamstress who taught me a lot and encouraged my creativity. !!

Inspiration behind starting Three Little Feathers? Seeing the need for more support of the local Tasmanian makers, especially a retail space where they can be paid the real price for their work and the customer doesn't have to spend a fortune. !What was your first step in setting up Three Little Feathers? Securing an appropriate shop front! !You're a business woman- how do you balance home/work life? I have become very good at multitasking, and ignoring the non essential chores around the house! And remembering that my kids are my priority, they are who I am ultimately doing all this for. !Favourite Quote? When others try to rain on your dreams, carry an umbrella and dream on -Anon !Biggest challenge as a business woman? Being taken seriously and finding others who support the vision of Three Little Feathers !Perks of being a Mumpreneur? Being my own boss, having my kids with me at work, and seeing your hard work mean something. !What has been your biggest achievement to date? I was featured in Take 5 magazine! !3 Tips for aspiring mumpreneurs? 1. Love what you do. Have a real passion for it, because starting a business is hard. 2. Have a solid business plan and a mentor. 3. Do your research. Know your market, know your target audience, know who else is already doing it and don't estrange them. Know what your getting yourself in for!

What would you say if I told you that Santa doesn’t live in the North Pole but in Spain? That he doesn’t come by sleigh but by boat? That he doesn’t have reindeer but does ride a white horse? What would you say if he didn’t come on Christmas Day but he has his own day – the 5th of December. And that on this day, if you leave your shoes out, filled with hay, he might – just might – leave you treats like chocolates shaped into the letters of your name. !That’s how we do Santa in our house. We don’t call him Santa, or Saint Nicholas, but Sinterklaas. And the custom is Dutch. Though my husband grew up in Tasmania, his

family roots are in the Netherlands. Mine are not. And so, when first hearing of these traditions I must admit I thought them a little odd! But once we had children of our own, we soon recognised Sinterklaas was not only a totally cool way of teaching our children about their own heritage but that we had inadvertently solved a personal dilemma! !You see, on the one hand - as a young family with an equally young personal faith in Jesus - we really wanted to ensure Christmas was a day that focussed on the celebration of the birth of our heavenly Saviour. We were particularly worried that Christmas

is heavily commercialised and really didn’t want to “buy in” to the idea that the best Christmas was the one with the latest toy. On the other hand, we are all for fun and make-believe! !Enter Sinterklaas. We listen for the sound of his horses hooves on the roof at night and leave the shoes out (ok, ok, they are clogs and the person with the biggest ones scores the most treats, so it’s a good thing daddy shares!). We join up with other Dutch Australians – often a few days after the 5th, it takes a while to get from Spain to Tasmania after all - and meet Sinterklaas and his helpers off the boat. The kids are growing up with an understanding of different cultural traditions and get

to still have a rich imaginative experience. !But it doesn't overtake what we see as the real meaning. And so on Christmas Day we read the Bible. We pray. We sing happy birthday to Jesus. We meet with our church and families. We give gifts to the poor and alone. And we give gifts to one another and talk about the symbolism of the gift – the gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal reconciliation with God – the gift of grace brought into the world. An act of unconditional love of the father of the universe. For more information on the historical Saint Nicholas (it really is such a fascinating story) , what he did and different cultural celebrations from around the world - google is your friend! Maybe, if you dig not so far into your own family tree, you might find an excuse to reinvent your own Christmas traditions, or just add a whole new layer of fun or meaning to it - no matter what you believe. !

The steamer is comingfrom Spain to our lands. 

On board is Saint Nicholas,I watch where he stands.

His white horse is prancing all over the deck.

His banners are waving both forward and back.

Trad. Dutch

Sinterklaas !By Amy Jansen

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O dear O dear … Where do I begin over the last week I have had a couple of incidents that involve, well there is no polite way to put this … POO! and, Poppy .. well let’s start with the first one, I went to the town with my sister in-law (Becca) to help her look for a new phone, this can be a hard task when you’re chasing a little one around the shops who’s insisting she is the new store manager. !After a little while the inevitable thing happened…”Daddy, I need to go the toilet, Daddy!” The nearest toilets were McDonald’s, if I made a mad dash now we might just make it, when we arrived the door was locked to the child’s and OAP toilet so we waited, I managed to take Poppy’s mind off going a toilet right there in my arms. !Just when I thought it was too late, the lock opened and out popped this very sweet old lady with a lovely smile ..then Poppy said at the top of her voice, “WHAT IS THAT SMELL DAD!! someone done a smelly poo poo that Stinks, Dad!!” ERRRR!!…I couldn’t face turning around as I could hear people laughing and chuckling as it was rush hour. I thought to myself, “Poor old lady she must be so embarrassed.” When I got her into the toilet and locked the door. I needed to hold my breath in there (Poppy had a valid point). She was sitting there with a big smile, looking very satisfied with herself for doing a poo poo on a big girl toilet. !Now for then the second incident, I thought I would take the girls to Saturday Morning Pictures, one of my favorite things to do a kid, just the day before I was chatting to my brother about how our first film we saw was Cop and a Half starring the legendary Burt Reynolds. !I got the girls dressed in time, booked a cab from the nearest cash point as I had no change, when I was putting the girls in the Taxi, Poppy had dried mud on her shoe and scrapped it in a big line across the back seats, I quickly rubbed this with my hands to erase any evidence, but this was soft and cold it wasn’t coming off at all, I slowly raised my hand towards my face praying that it wasn’t what I thought it might be … but it was!!! I couldn’t believe it I was in the back of a taxi with Poo all over my hands and not a baby wipe in sight! !I was trying to stop myself from heaving and thought what can I do??… so I opened the back window, took off Poppy’s boots as if I was being polite, they were covered in it, Poppy started SCREAMING!! saying put my boot’s back on, I was trying to calm her down with my elbows as my hands were out of action, when we arrived, poppy was in a right state, I couldn’t just quickly leave as the pram was in the boot, I reached for the maps behind the passenger seat and laid them over the affected area, I felt so guilty, but all I could think about was getting to the toilet to wash my hands! !

Once we were in the cinema Ruby looked at me and said, “Daddy, Poppy trod in cat poo in the garden before we left.“… I looked at her and said, “REALLY RUBY!! you wait until now to tell me that.” After I washed my hands I got them both a lovely box of popcorn, made our way to our seats to enjoy a great film together and put all that mess behind us. !A little way through the film Poppy was asking for her Pram as she was feeling tired, I lifted the pram up to where we were sitting and laid her down to sleep, a little while later I was sitting there as the air-con blew past me and I got a big whiff of Poo again, then I realized I had forgotten to wash the boots that were underneath the pram the whole time!!! (honestly) !In the famous words of Jerry Springer….. “Take care of yourselves and each other.” (I’ve always wanted to say that) !Until next week……. !You can follow Rob’s antics on Facebook at Diary of a Stay at Home Dad.

Week Eighteen Diary of a Stay at Home Dad!By Rob Tyler

Rachel Baker Photography www.rachelbaker.com.au

www.facebook.com/rachelbakerphotography !Rachel Baker is a portrait photographer located in

Hobart. Available for all styles of portraits at very

competitive prices. Please call Rachel on

0409 007 691 for booking enquiries.

Andyman www.theandyman.com.au

www.facebook.com/andyman.hobart !Happy holidays, Andyfans!

An Andyman voucher makes a perfect gift for the

time-poor person in your life. 10% off vouchers of

$100 or more for new customers*.

*Conditions apply.

Lulu & Jess www.luluandjess.com.au

www.facebook.com/luluandjess !Specialising in quality reusable products for Mum &

Bub: Nappies, training pants, swim nappies, wipes,

Mama cloth, Baby carriers and more. We only sell

products that we have used and highly recommend. !

Hobart Mumpreneurs present

Christmas CatalogueHobart Mumpreneurs aims to provide and enhance knowledge and skills by

encouraging, supporting and providing professional development opportunities for

ALL. We achieve this through networking events, enlightening speakers, informative

seminars and open social media forums.

If you are a mumpreneur, join us on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/groups/HobartMumpreneurs

R.E.S Designs www.resdesigns.com.au

www.facebook.com/resdesigns !Personalised and hand painted Treats for Santa &

Rudolph Plate. Include your child/family’s name.

$39.00 + p&h. Visit us at www.resdesigns.com.au to

view our entire range. Custom orders also welcome.

Nature Direct www.facebook.com/naturekb !Protect your family this summer!

Introducing Nature Direct! Australian owned and

operated... safe for the whole family! Hold a Demo

and save $$ ... Private sales welcome!

Call Karen on 0411343389

Just Babee and Me www.facebook.com/justbabeeandme !

The perfect baby shower present. Baby Gift Box

includes 30ml Baby Massage Oil, 30ml Cradle Cap

Oil, 15ml Nappy Rash Cream and an Unscented Baby

Soap. Only $20, save $2.50.

Salon Red https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salon-Red/

381309365247820 !Just in time for Christmas. 40% off Gorgeous

Cosmetics. Save $39.00 on Sebastian Penetraitt and

Hydre Shampoo, Conditioner and

Styling product packs.

Baby Love Infant Massage www.facebook.com/pages/Baby-Love-Infant-Massage/431943913554142 !Empowering parents to learn and apply massage to their little ones. Providing education around the importance of loving touch as well as the health, social and emotional benefits. Ph: 0407 724 352 for bookings/enquiries. Gift Vouchers available.

Nature Direct www.facebook.com/naturekb !Give the gift that keeps on giving...

Replace your vaporiser with Nature Direct's COLD

WATER alternative!! Great for *Croup *Allergies

*Cold/flu. Just $129.30 Call Karen on 0411343389

My Kids Room https://www.facebook.com/MyKidsRoomtas !

My Kids Room is a shop where its all about children.

Not only will it have a great selection of gorgeous

clothes it will also have a great range of gifts, ranging

from stickers and stamps to educational based toys.

R.E.S Designs www.resdesigns.com.au

www.facebook.com/resdesigns

Don’t Ask, Rough Day, Good Day Wine Glass.

Personalise with a name and hand painted in your

choice of colour. Dishwasher safe.

$13.50 each + p&h.

Active Solutions and Health Network www.activesolutionsandhealthnetwork.com.au !Active Solutions specialise in women’s fitness,

particularly the new to exercise, pre and postnatal

workouts, and rehabilitation. Ring Jo on 0409862206

for personalised and attentive workouts - many

options and prices.

planet-eco www.planet-eco.com.au !Gardening kits for kids! Great Christmas pressies –

choose from Vegie, Herb or Flower. Contains seeds,

biodegradable pots, bamboo tags and grow guide.

Enter coupon code HMNChris for 10% discount on

checkout.

Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery 13 September – 1 December 2013 !There is something magical about walking into a Philip Wolfhagen show. I haven’t seen a large collection of his paintings for years but walking into the Argyle Galleries at the TMAG was like coming home. Focussed predominantly on the Tasmanian landscape, Wolfhagen’s work is dreamy, romantic and evocative of that chill ever-present crackle in our wintry air. With distinctive authenticity, his paintings encapsulate the glory of Tasmania’s open space and unencumbered sky. They remind me of making the long trek via bus from Hobart through the Midlands and up to Burnie during my uni years. Just past Bagdad, the hills lean back and the landscape opens up into a seemingly limitless panorama of pasture, bush and sky. It is a uniquely Tasmanian vista and Wolfhagen’s work captures the sense of wonder and awe that view always gave me. It is a view that speaks of mystery and the unknown but also of comfort and beauty. !Initiated by the Newcastle Art Gallery and developed in partnership with the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Illumination: The art of Philip Wolfhagen is the first major survey of his work and features 50 career spanning works sourced from public and private collections. As an artist who maintains a strict work schedule in his Longford studio (working there 6 days a week), Wolfhagen’s oeuvre is focused, consistent and continuously evolving in beauty and depth. While most of his works concentrate on the open vista – the landscape as one might see it from a high point – the most captivating to me are the works focussing on smaller details. The multiple long panels of A litany of vapours (2007) featuring only a sliver of cloud and the series of deep blue, choppy waves in the Surface Tension collection; these works make you feel as though you are right there in the moment. You can feel the sharp air on your face as you stand beneath the clouds and sense the foreboding possibility of being lost amidst the deep, cold blue of the waves.

Drawing inspiration from English Romantic painter John Constable and renowned photographer Peter Dombrovskis, Wolfhagen is a master of colour and texture. Surprisingly for a landscape painter, his images are based on a palette of primary colours. From there he mixes and builds the paint onto the canvas, scraping and blending until the natural world he depicts comes alive beneath his fingertips. In Night Beacon VI (2005) a dusky evening landscape shimmers in the darkness. Ebony blends with indigo to create darkened layers of undulating hills, trees and pasture. A haze drapes over the landscape like a gossamer shawl. A bushfire burns steadily in the distance, its red and orange hues slashing into the darkness like a wound opening slowly. !As an artist who clearly feels a keen artistic attachment to the landscape and the cycles of nature, Wolfhagen also spends time cultivating a sustainable lifestyle for his family. With his studio and historic family home based in the rural Northern Tasmanian town of Longford, Wolfhagen is able to nurture his love for gardening in the land surrounding his home. Here the family raise animals and maintain a lush veggie garden that keeps them well stocked throughout the year. Not only does Wolfhagen spend time painting the landscape, he also seeks to understand it and through his actions, supports it in a sustainable way. !While Illumination has completed its run at the TMAG, the show will tour around Australia throughout 2014. If you weren’t able to catch Illumination locally, you can check out the Newcastle Art Gallery’s website (http://www.nag.org.au/learning/wolfhagen). Follow the links to find a great Education Kit on Philip Wolfhagen (http://www.nag.org.au/learning/wolfhagen/wolfhagen_resources) as well as detailed information about his artistic influences and work methods. A selection of videos and short films about his work are also available there.

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Illumination The Art of Philip WolfhagenBy Briony Downes

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As a child my parents would put a piece of fruit and one of those individual cereal boxes in our stockings so we wouldn't wake them up too early demanding food! - Michelle Wood !One Christmas, my uncle Wayne, who was working as a builder, fell off a roof and landed (as only he could) on a pile of broken bricks. He broke 26 bones, ruptured all of his squishy internals and spent that Christmas in a coma. His wife, Helen (otherwise known as the clan Matriarch) who is also a nurse sat by him the whole time while we all filed in and out. He woke up about a week after Christmas, and Helen leaned over him and said "Wayne, honey, do you know where you are?" ... "I'm in a strip club." ... no Wayne. He ended up with chronic back problems and epilepsy, but in the true spirit of Wayne (who has always been impossibly optimistic) this is still an uplifting Christmas story, because none of this seems to bother him in the slightest. He's over 60 now, and he forgets words, get 'the fun drugs' from the hospital for his back and every now and then he'll twitch while eating yoghurt and splatter it all over the wall. He thinks this is hilarious. He is still one of the happiest people I know. - Cassandra Wunsch !I always remember the 1st year I my Hubby went up to my parents for Christmas. I would always tell him stories about my Dad and how excited he gets and how much fun it is. I warned him Dad will wake us up on Christmas morning. He laughed it off. And fair enough 5.30am Christmas morning my Dad opened the door and whispered "Santas been, Santas been". To this day Dad still does that when we are at their place. And I hope I can pass these wonderful memories onto my gorgeous Daughter and I hope that I too can create wonderful memories for her growing up at Christmas time. I love Christmas! - Katrina Driessen !!

The season had come now, that time of the year, With presents, with fun times and buckets of cheer!

My brother, young Matthew, the slyest of givers, Could always be trusted to cause quakes and shivers!

To ensure my safety, I allied myself, And became assistant to this crafty elf!

With sniggers and giggles we'd plan and we'd scheme, A 'gift box' for Penny, was our final theme.

Our sweet baby sister, our parent's prize jewel... It's true, as the youngest, this plan was still cruel.

So under the tree, amidst undies and socks, Was planted our 'present', a big, cardboard box.

All festively covered, the largest of any, And on it, a label. The card read: 'For Penny'. The joy and excitement was clear on her face.

'My present's the biggest!!!' she'd gloat 'round the place. 'OH MATTHEW! OH LYNDAL?!?' We heard our Mum yell,

'Come here, have a chat now! What's in there? Do tell! It best be a nice gift, you WON'T break her heart?!'

We 'Ummmd' and we 'Ahhhhd' as our lips flapped apart. 'Well this, I won't stand for! This gift, it must go!'

She lifted the side and we screamed 'No, Mum! No!' Yet it was too late for the box, it had tipped. It lay on its side now, our spirits were ripped.

With fear and with horror, we just had to face it. 'The content?' Mum scolded, 'You'll have to replace it!

With what, I don't care, but it has to be nice.' Yet this was not all, for we paid a great price.

'The contents,' you may ask, 'Why not take them out?' It's tricky, you see, when they're scattered about!

The box, when tipped over, went 'Shwoosh! Patter! Pitter!' For inside that 'gift' was a tray of cat litter!

But now, it may not seem, a hard thing to do. Just give it a brush out, and fill it anew!

'The joke is on us now!' I whimpered to Matt, As we swept out the USED litter left by our cat…

- Lyndal Jolly

We used to go camping for a week in the National Park not that far from where we lived. We couldn't actually go away on holidays at the time, as we had to be close enough to go home to feed the animals on the farm (goats) every few days. 2 days before Christmas I went home, to collect the extra things we'd need for Christmas in the bush, including the frozen turkey hindquarter, which we were going to BBQ in a buried pit at the campsite. My 5y.o daughter Grace decided to help. Unfortunately the frozen turkey piece was heavier than she anticipated, and landed on her bare foot. After a long time crying, and clearly great pain, I had to take her to the Emergency Dept at the hospital. She had a hairline crack in her bones. The nurses couldn't top laughing (discreetly) when they heard of a frozen turkey being the problem. It was funny, as well as painful - even 5 year old Grace could see that. - Christmas legend - Sonja Preston !Christmas time was always a bit strange in my family, but I didn’t notice, as I was distracted by the gifts, chocolate and other rituals associated with it. When I was about 13 and dressed in a terrible collared culotte set my mum had chosen, it twigged that my family actually hated Christmas. They were forced into waiting around the food laden table forbidden to touch even a shrivelled peanut until ‘everyone was there’. They were bored and depressed at the prospect of Nanny’s trifle, which I loved. Finally my Aunt confided to be in a whisper, ‘don’t eat the trifle, I’ve seen her prepare it’. It’s no wonder really that Christmas with the other side of the family was a far more relaxed, beachy BBQ type affair in which we are all photographed in towels or playing games on the shabby floor of my Mutti’s shack with sunburnt, smiling faces. By the time I was 16 I couldn’t be much more disillusioned about Christmas, then on the 9th December that year, before the thought of making the trek to Nanny’s place had entered our heads, my 19 year old brother Adam died of Meningococcal meningitis within 48 hours of contracting it. It was completely unexpected and devastating. I remember my father asking to photograph me on Christmas Day and I said ‘I can’t smile’ and he said ‘that’s alright’. !In 1999, three years after that event I became a Christian. This gave Christmas a far greater meaning for me as I loved church and loved to make cards for family and friends with joyful Bible verses, however the sadness remained. Now since my husband has became a pastor, Christmas is usually a time of intense activity, catching a plane home to family on Christmas day as church activities didn’t allow us to leave before then. Or driving with our baby to small churches up the midlands highway where my husband preached twice and arriving, exhausted, to open presents and eat Christmas lunch an hour or two after everyone else. I love Christmas as a celebration of Jesus, born so tiny to rescue us from sin and bring us a hope we could not imagined on our own, yet it is still tinged with the sadness of my brother’s loss and my dysfunctional family’s discomfort with the fuss, stress and pressure. We prefer the moment after the food has been eaten, the wrapping paper discarded and we drink coffee in the good china cups and discuss family history. Or the moment when the Christmas chocolate comes out and watch the DVD’s we gave each other as gifts. !This year though, I have my children to read the nativity story to, to lose bits of our playmobil nativity while playing ‘babies’ with the little plastic Jesus. But best of all, I have my son, Solomon Adam, as my comfort for the Adam I lost as a teenager. Dear Adam, still miss you so much, but thank God for Solomon Adam. - Amy Isham

Christmas Memories By Hobart Mums

So want do you say to yourself at this time? Yahhhh I love Christmas; It’s so expensive; I can’t want for it to be over; I love watching the kids faces on Christmas morning; Family fdiasgreements – no thanks; I love family get togethers, especially Christmas; I love the excitement and special treats. !Which ever sentiments you have about Christmas, the reality is it is approaching fast! !What can we do to make it a pleasant, positive experience for children and families? Here’s some ideas….. !Craft with Children: Have some special Christmas rituals. Many families have trees and decorations, but what about making your own cards with the children, or getting them to paint wrapping paper – use a roll of brown ‘lunch’ wrap, and give them red and green paint to create with. !Include the children: Get them to help select gifts for different people: “Do you think Aunty Sue would like the green socks or the yellow ones? (within your budget of course!). Let the children help to put up the decorations – we know that it might not be ‘perfect’ but in allowing our children to help, we make them feel valued. !Get them cooking: This is a great time to get in the kitchen and cook some biscuits and slices to give away or eat yourself – a gingerbread mix and cookie cutters are great! One year my children and I cut out ‘labels’ (or gift tags) from gingerbread mix, poking a hole in it for the ribbon, and when baked, piped on people’s names – they were very popular. !Shopping: As it gets closer to Christmas, and the shops are busier, aim to shop early, before it’s too crowded – we know that young children don’t have the patience to wait in those long queues. If you do need to go at that time, make sure

they’ve eaten, had a drink, and been to the toilet, to minimise stress all round. !Gifts: Over the years, I’ve noticed a growing trend amongst parents, to give their children everything they ‘want’. Children are encouraged to tell Santa what they want for Christmas, and it’s often tied to ‘being good’. You and I know that we will give our children gifts, even if they haven’t been well-behaved; so it’s probably unwise to use this as a ploy for good behaviour. In a similar vein, avoid using Santa as a threat eg “You better not do that again, because then Santa won’t come” – you and I know ‘he’ will. By all means encourage your children to be well behaved, but without idle threats. Christmas doesn’t need to send you bankrupt – maybe one main gift for the children and then smaller items. It’s important for developing children to learn that they can’t ask for everyting, and expect to receive it all. It doesn’t happen to us adults - because if it did, I would have a red Ferrari in the drive-way! !Generosity: I’ve heard of parents doing this, and I love the idea. Each year, they encourage the children to sort through their toys and books, and to give some away to less fortunate children. They select toys which are still in good condition, but which they’ve outgrown, and give them to local charities. I believe it’s important for children to learn generosity, and it’s starts with the parents modelling, and with encouragement. Gratitude: In this vein also, encourage your children to say a clear thank you to those who give them gifts – the art of gratitude. We know small children (under 5) are ego-centric – they are ‘me’ focusssed. However you can still encourage gratitude. !Sleep: Ensure that the children get a good nights sleep, particularly in the last few days before Christmas,

so that they (and you!) can enjoy the next day. Have a beautiful Christmas time with you families, a safe holiday period, and I look forward to sharing 2014 with you. Merry Christmas! !!!Sonja is a Senior Parenting Consultant, with 14 years parenting experience, on top of a 20 year teaching background. She is also a Life Coach. Sonja can be found at www.theparentingcafe.com.au or via email: sonja@theparentingcafe.com.au

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It was a dark and stormy night.... our hero (me) slowly creaked open the large oak doors of the massive medieval castle which inexplicably housed the surgeons office. Before me lay a long dimly lit corridor, each wall lined with the heads of various deceased animals, and at the end a slightly ajar door spilling light the colour of rancid butter onto the chequered tiled floor. As I made my way down the corridor in the dim light the animals faces seemed to twist into mocking smiles, sneering at me with their cold dead eyes, silently joyous at the fate which awaited me. As I reached the door, I thought I caught the tail end of the sound of metal rubbing on metal, perhaps the swish swish of a knife being sharpened, but now silence. I reached for the door knob, cold like the grave in my sweaty hand, I took a breath, opened the door, and stepped into that grimy light…… !As you may have picked up from the subtle hints in my introduction to this article, the vasectomy wasn’t the walk in the park I was lead to believe (I find gross exaggeration an effective coping technique). The best I can describe the vasectomy as is ‘deeply unpleasant’. The procedure went as follows: (I’ll be using some rude words here, so if you’re offended by words relating to male genitalia or men whining about something that probably wasn’t as bad as he makes it out to be then look away now). After you are laying on the bed the surgeon hunts around the scrotum to a specific tube attached to one testicle. Once found it’s grabbed and a local anaesthetic is injected into the skin above the tube. Then a small incision is made (only about 1 cm) and a second aesthetic is injected directly into the tube. This second aesthetic is the worst, as it can be felt all the way up into the bottom of your stomach. !The tube is then pulled out of the incision, the surgeon then does something and once finished puts the tube back. I’m unable to recall what he said he was doing at that point because I was in some pain and was too busy trying to count the number of venetian blinds he had on his windows as a distraction to listen to what he was saying. This is then repeated on the other side. Once done some gauze is placed on either side of the scrotum, you put your undies back on and head on your merry way. The one good thing about the procedure is that I was in and out in 20 minutes (and

that includes time to ask questions afterwards), it really was very quick. !Recovery time will probably vary, but it took about 7 days for me to no longer walk like Riff Raff from Rocky Horror. I’d suggest at least the first 2-3 days to stay off your feet as much as possible and definitely don’t do any lifting for about a week. At the time of writing this it’s been 2 weeks since the procedure and apart from the occasional twinge everything is back to normal, that said I probably will give it at least another week before I do any heavy lifting. !If I had my time again I would probably have a general anaesthetic. It turns out that no, I can’t handle the truth but what’s happened has happened and no amount of standing in the corner with my fingers in my ears yelling “lalalalalalalalalalalala” will be able to change that. I know that I’m not really giving much encouragement here to anyone thinking of having the procedure, but I think it’s better to give a realistic overview of what it was like for me. I’m sure others have had this procedure with no worries or emotional scars, but they are made of stronger stuff than me. One piece of advice I can give is that if you have to do your own shaving before hand, make sure you shave the entire region thoroughly. The surgeon used one of those blue pieces of fabric with a hole (I don’t know what it’s called) to operate through, well it turns out that on the bottom side of this piece of fabric is a very strong adhesive. So any spots you missed while shaving will be silky smooth once the blue fabric is removed. !Our bloodied hero limped back down the corridor that had began this nightmare. The animal heads no longer seemed to meet his gaze, their eyes seemed to look away, almost too fearful to look at the shadow of a man who now hobbled down the corridor before them. As he opened the large oak doors and stepped into the sunlight he smiled, as there waiting for him was his family. All smiles and holding a homemade “Get well soon Daddy” card and a block of peppermint chocolate. Everything was going to be ok (not a gross exaggeration).

V for Vasectomy, Part 2 adventures in dadulthoodBy Richard Casey

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On December 20, we are celebrating the end of the year together at The Haven. Last year we banded together and collected over 200 gifts for local mothers who were in shelters around our area in southern Tasmania. This year we are coming together with Red Cross to bring some joy to asylum seeking children in community detention. !Here is some information from Red Cross’ website regarding community detention: !What is the Community Detention program? The Community Detention program provides support to vulnerable people to live in the community, rather than in a detention facility, while waiting for the outcomes of their visa application. !Who does the program support? We provide support to families with children, unaccompanied minors and individual adults, as determined eligible by Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). !People in the Community Detention program are still legally detained and are not allowed to work. !What kind of support does Red Cross provide? Program support includes access to safe housing, adequate healthcare and education for school-age children. !!

Why does Red Cross run this program for asylum seekers? Red Cross assists migrants, irrespective of their legal status, whose survival, dignity, physical or mental health in under threat. !The program was developed in 2005 through discussions with Red Cross, other humanitarian agencies and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to provide a more humane detention model for families with children, unaccompanied minors and individual adults seeking asylum. !Living in community detention is a better option for the physical and mental well-being of asylum seekers awaiting resolution of their visa status. It gives people the chance to be part of a community, providing them with emotional and practical support while they wait. !So what can Hobart Mums do with these families who are living side by side with us with so much uncertainty in their lives? It seems so small in the grand scheme of things, but we can share gifts with them this Christmas and send them the message that we value them and regard them with love even though we could never begin to understand what they have been through. Join us as we collect gifts for the children this Christmas. !Please join our Facebook event for more information.www.facebook.com/events/234526260040384/

Sharing the Love from the DirectorBy Christine Jolly

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